Mass Effect: The Aftermath (REWRITE)
by Selena Shepard
Summary: The Crucible has fired, the Reapers are gone and Commander Shepard is living a life she never thought she'd live. A different ending to ME3 and a small glimpse at the future. (Rewrite of the original. Shakarian.)


AN: For those of you that have been with me since the beginning, y'all know this little Shakarian tale. Since I was a horrible writer back then, I decided to rewrite this now that I've improved a bit (at least I think have). Consider it a Christmas gift or something. I kept looking at the original version of The Aftermath and would shake my head, embarrassed. So. Here ya go. Please, do let me know if it's better than the first. And if you haven't read the original, I don't recommend it. I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I posted that.

And I know there's a prologue in the first one. It's coming. Soon. Hopefully. And if you're wondering about A New Beginning or Diary of a Trevelyan, I'm going. It's the holidays right now, everyone's here (aunts, uncles, etc.) bugging me. So, please be patient. And I have to play ME again to refresh my mind for ANB so yeah. Anyway, I've rambled for far too long. Please, do enjoy.

P.S Any of you want a Mass Confusion rewrite? I know I want one... I'm also taking requests. Happy Holidays!

* * *

They sat side by side, their backs leaning heavily onto the wall. Their hands clutched at their wounds as they witnessed the battle scene before them. Alliance cruisers, turian dreadnoughts, asari ships, all taking on their large, menacing rival: the Reapers. Flashes of red and blue appeared before the two soldiers as ships fired or a red laser razed a ship in half. Behind the commotion sat Earth, floating without a care in the universe.

"It's quite the view, isn't it?" Anderson rasped, his mouth and throat dry.

The younger soldier chuckled lightly. "Best seats in the house." Shepard answered.

They both continued to stare at the scene in silence. It seemed that the Reapers were pushing the others back, something that did not come as a surprise to Shepard. They were outnumbered and ill-prepared. She had warned them, the Council, three years ago. They, however, ignored her claims. _Look where that got them._

Shepard noticed Anderson's eyes becoming heavier, his breathing more shallow. "Anderson," she called out. She received a startled mumble, as if she had awoken him from his sleep. "Stay with me."

Anderson coughed loudly, blood spluttering from his lips. "You did good, child." he said. "You did good. I'm...proud of you."

"Thank you, sir." Shepard turned her head to see Anderson, but saw a devastating sight. Her mentor's head hanged loosely to one side, his chest neither rising nor falling. He was dead. If she could, she would scream until he would come back to her.

A single tear fell from a bruised eye, leaving tracks as it swam down a swollen, dirty cheek, down to Shepard's neck. She looked down to her suddenly wet hand, covered in blood. She had not even noticed she was bleeding. Must have slipped her mind. Just like she felt her life slip away. The room was staring to get dimmer, her breathing became shallow.

Just when she was about to give her last breath, a voice called out to her, begging her to wake up. It sounded familiar and worried as well. She reached out for it as, at last, her last breath left her lips.

* * *

"Shepard, please! Wake up!"

She gasped, bringing in a large gulp of air into her empty lungs. Her body felt weak, her limbs heavy. Strong, armored arms wrapped around her. A scent so familiar made its way to her nose, making her quickly recognize the person.

"Garrus..." She said, barely recognizing her weak voice, a stark contrast from her usual commanding tone.

"Thank the spirits you're alive." The armored turian said as he looked into her lover's hazel eyes.

"How did I get here?" Shepard asked as she sat up with the help of Garrus. "What happened? Did the Crucible fire? Where's Anderson?" She had so many questions that they didn't seem to escape her lips quickly enough.

"You were hit by Harbinger's laser. You and Anderson didn't even make it to the beam." Garrus answered.

"I was what?" The bloodied soldier asked, stunned by what she had heard.

"Always trying to beat me." Garrus smirked, though his eyes told his true emotions, the worriedness he had felt and still was. "I get a rocket to the face, you just _have _to get yourself shot by Harbinger."

Just as Shepard was about to make a witty remark, an explosion sounded from behind them as a building collapsed. That moved Shepard to action. "If the Crucible isn't activated yet, I have to go do it." She moved to stand, but her legs protested and she fell. Garrus quickly cuaght her before reaching the ground, saving her from any more physical pain.

"We'll send more soldiers as soon as we get the Normandy. You're coming with me to get you patched up." Garrus had a look on him that said 'I won't take no for an answer.' Just then, Shepard remembered something. Something she could use.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the med bay, mister? So you get to run back, half limping and still injured, but I don't? I _have _to activate the Crucible. Now. Before whatever it was that I saw happens."

Garrus looked at her inquisitively, wondering what she had meant. Another explosion as a ship grew aflame and began falling to the ground interrupted his question. Shepard read Garrus's eyes. He would let her go.

With him at her side.

"I'm coming with you." He put his arm around his commander's waist- that waist that he had caressed so many times -and helped her stand. Finding her footing, both of them walked, _limped_ to the beam.

* * *

"Well that felt weird." Shepard said, shuddering. "It's like I was split into a billion tiny pieces then put back together."

Shepard looked around; they were in the Citadel Tower. Despite all the damage done by Cerberus, the place was pretty much intact and exactly the same as it was three years ago when she defeated Saren. It seemed that everything would end here. Again.

She weakly points at the center of the tower floor. "Those are the controls." The same ones Saren wanted to use to release the Reapers a lifetime ago.

The duo made their way to the console. They tweak at it until the Ward arms suddenly began their slow journey of opening up.

"Don't you think that was far too easy?" Garrus asked.

"Well, for once in our life, we can say that this-"

The beam behind them activated, revealing a disfigured man all too recognizable to the commander. The man walked toward them, his face covered with tiny cables traversing the whole of his face. It was quite grotesque.

"Damn it. I was going to say this was easy, but-"

"You can't stop the Reapers, Shepard." The suited man said.

"I was wondering where you had gone. You didn't have anything to do with my little dream, did you?"

"That was a test. One that would've made you our most powerful ally. But you surpassed it, making you an even bigger target to make an alliance. Think, Shepard! What we could accomplish with the Reapers-"

"Can be accomplished without them." Archangel interrupted. "Humans are more powerful than my people; they proved that during the Relay 314 incident."

"And yet we cannot stop the Reapers." The Illusive Man countered.

"We can, and we just did. As soon as that weapon docks, all Reapers will cease to exist." Shepard yelled. In that moment, she heard static coming from her ear piece.

**{All units- zzzsh -three minutes for-zzzsh –Crucible arming.}**

"That's Hackett." Garrus said.

"In three minutes," Shepard began, "This place is going to blow. You can stay here if you want and get blown to kingdom come, but I'm leaving. And there's no way you can stop that weapon from arming now."

"We can control them, Shepard!" The head of Cerberus insisted.

"They're controlling you! Think! You brought me back to stop them. All that technology indoctrinated you. You have to let them free you."

"That's… not true! I- we can-"

"Don't you see? That's them, controlling you. They let you think you're in control, but they'll never let you control them."

"No!" TIM yelled. "You're wrong! I…I _can_ control them!"

Shepard looks at Garrus's hips and spots a pistol. She grabs it and points it at the struggling Illusive Man. "Then you'll die thinking that. I'm giving you one last chance for you to break hold."

**{Fifty seconds. All units- zzzsh –out of there.}**

"Jack Harper." Shepard said, gun never wavering. "Goodbye."

She pulled the trigger, landing one bullet directly between the Illusive Man's eyes. His body fell to the floor, lifeless.

"The Reapers and Cerberus end here." Shepard said. "Come on, Garrus. Let's go before this thing blows us up."

"Good thinking."

* * *

The beam dissipated just as Shepard and Garrus exited, the Crucible starting to fire. It started as a small dot at the center of the Crucible, slowly expanding until it encompassed the entire weapon. Exploding outward in a red blaze, the Reapers fell one by one as the fiery light caressed them, destroying them forever.

Everywhere people cheered as they saw the giant machines fall around them, they hugged, cried, yelled. Garrus, out of impulse, protected Shepard with his body as the light bathed them, but did them no harm. Seeing that both Shepard and himself were unharmed, he took her into his arms in a fierce embrace, followed by an equally fierce kiss.

"We did it." Shepard said as she pulled away slightly.

"No. You did it."

"I couldn't have done it without the help of the infamous Archangel." Shepard countered with a smirk.

"Well, you could have. But it wouldn't have been as fun."

Shepard lets out a small laugh. "Ha! How true. Come one, Mister Invincible. Let's go home."

"Someone called?" Joker suddenly said into their earpieces. At that, the Normandy, in all its glory, appeared before them and landed. Out came everybody: Cortez, Sam, Dr. Chakwas, Tali, Ashley, Daniels, Donnelly, Liara, and everyone else. The last person to exit the ship, however, caught Shepard's eye.

"Kid, you look like hell."

Shepard grinned. "You don't look too shabby yourself, Anderson. I'm glad you made it, sir."

"I almost didn't. Cortez found me while Garrus went to look for you. I was found nearly as dead as you."

Looking down at her burnt arm and armor, her grin widened. "I'm damn lucky to be in one piece. Harbinger packed quite a punch."

"That's putting it lightly." Garrus said. "Speaking of which…" He waved over Dr. Chakwas. "Doctor, could you keep her locked in the med bay until she fully recovers?"

"I intend to keep her there for a whole month if it'll keep her from harming herself even more." Karin replied. "You do enjoy getting hurt, don't you, Commander?"

"Not if I can help it, Karin."

"Shepard." Anderson called. "I'm proud of you, kid. You did good. The entire galaxy owes you one."

Standing slightly straighter, Shepard salutes and Anderson returns the gesture. They all file inside the Normandy, the threat now controlled and defeated.


End file.
